Overlord of the Wilderness

KREEE! KREEE! KREEE! KREEE!

Zhaang Ye slowly tightened the strand of hair. The purple bow’s stave finally joined with the strand, forming a complete great bow. Zhaang Ye tried drawing it. The bowstring was strong and powerful, yet possessed a pliant strength that made it feel incredibly comfortable to use.

After drawing it a few times, Zhaang Ye tried to infuse a bit of his Dragon Elephant Power into the Purple Great Bow.

As the Dragon Elephant Power entered the Purple Great Bow, its purple stave suddenly flashed. The power he had just infused was completely absorbed by the bow.

”Hm?”

Zhaang Ye noticed that the faint black line on the back of the purple longbow and on the nocks at either end had lit up, emitting a soft purple glow.

’Well now... could this Purple Great Bow be a True Artifact?’ Zhaang Ye was both shocked and delighted. After a moment of careful inspection, he finally found three hidden arrays on the back of the bow’s stave.

These three arrays only revealed themselves when activated with Dragon Elephant Power. When Zhaang Ye dispersed his power, they automatically concealed themselves again. It was quite magical.

’Only weapons engraved with nine arrays are considered True Artifacts. This Purple Great Bow only has three, so it’s definitely not a True Artifact. Then again, a bow with three arrays is still quite extraordinary, even if it’s not a True Artifact.’ Zhaang Ye was secretly overjoyed.

’A bow with three arrays was likely a First-Grade Mortal Artifact. The power of a First-Grade Mortal Artifact was far greater than that of an ordinary one. With this bow, his confidence for this trip grew a little more.’

At this moment, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude that he had once devoured the Innate True Qi of four Hall Masters. It was precisely because of this that he could fully activate the three arrays on the Purple Great Bow. Otherwise, activating them would require a cultivation level of at least the Late Stage of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer.

CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW—

They had been flying for the better part of a day. As they passed over a massive mountain range, the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon cried out, its eyes fixed on the ground below as it began to drool again.

’It wants to eat bugs again! This glutton!’ Seeing the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon drooling uncontrollably, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but shake his head. However, he knew the Jiang Family was already after him, so he wasn’t about to let the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon descend.

Zhaang Ye took out two Essence Stones and tempted it, ”No more bugs today. These two are for you. Just fly a little faster for me.”

The Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon stretched its head over. Seeing the Essence Stones in Zhaang Ye’s hand, it instantly grew excited. With a loud ’CAW!’, it swallowed both Essence Stones in one gulp.

WHOOSH!

After swallowing the two Essence Stones, the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon’s speed immediately picked up. The white clouds beside them began to recede like a flowing river.

After two days of flying like this, a massive city appeared in the distance. Seeing it, Zhaang Ye breathed a quiet sigh of relief and muttered to himself, ”Excellent, Python Marsh. I’ve finally arrived. I need to enter the city to buy some arrows and get more familiar with this Purple Great Bow.”

Zhaang Ye had once researched Python Marsh in the True Hall’s Library Pavilion. He knew the city before him was the one closest to the marsh: Python City.

Now that Python City was in sight, Python Marsh couldn’t be far.

Python City didn’t belong to any kingdom; it was an independent city-state. The place was a chaotic mix of the good and the bad, a truly complex environment. Concerned about being tracked, Zhaang Ye didn’t dare ride the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon into the city. He had it land on a high mountain over a hundred li away, tossed it two more Essence Stones, and then headed for Python City on foot, carrying his Heavy Saber and Purple Great Bow.

At the foot of the mountain was a wide road. Following it for over a hundred li would lead to Python City. The road was filled with pedestrians, and Zhaang Ye instantly blended into the crowd, silently making his way forward.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—

Zhaang Ye was walking along the road when a large convoy slowly approached from behind. The convoy had more than a dozen opulent carriages, and even the horses pulling them were of the finest stock: white Cloud-Piercing Horses.

These white Cloud-Piercing Horses were as fast as the wind and possessed immense strength. It was incredibly difficult for an ordinary person to acquire even one, yet this convoy had over a dozen. The other travelers on the road clicked their tongues in amazement.

”Ten Cloud-Piercing Horses! What a display of wealth! Which family does this convoy belong to?” Zhaang Ye heard someone ask their companion in a low voice.

His companion glanced over and said in a low voice, ”Heh, that’s the convoy of the Mei Family, the third-ranked of the four great families in the Wei Kingdom. The Mei Family’s sigil is a nine-petaled plum blossom. See? The outside of each carriage is carved with one.”

Hearing this, Zhaang Ye looked at the carriages. Sure enough, each one was carved with a nine-petaled plum blossom.

Looking at the plum blossom, Zhaang Ye mused, ’The Mei Family is skilled in the Linghan Sword Skill. When cultivated to its peak, that swordsmanship can manifest a nine-petaled plum blossom. Their family sigil must be derived from it.’

At this time, someone else spoke up, ”Which are the four great families of the Wei Kingdom?”

Someone chuckled and said, ”The four great families of the Wei Kingdom are the Xuli Family, the Jiang Family, the Mei Family, and the Mu Family. The Xuli Family is the Royal Race of the Wei Kingdom. They have countless masters in their service, making them the most powerful. The other three families are more or less equal. Their patriarchs all have cultivation at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer.”

At this point, the man gave a sly chuckle. ”The Wei Kingdom’s most famous beauty, Fairy Xu Li, is from the Xuli Family. I heard she was a princess, but over a hundred years ago, her family tried to force her into a marriage. In a fit of pique, she just left the family and went to Xuli Mountain to focus on her cultivation. Now, they say she’s reached the peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer and is a famous master known for millions of li around.”

”Fairy Xu Li? Heh, I’ve heard of her. They say she has an Inner Charm Appearance—the longer you look at her, the more captivating she becomes. Even some old masters who’ve been cultivating for ages have designs on her after seeing her beauty. But her power is truly formidable. To this day, no one has succeeded...”

”Heh, you’re right about that. Fairy Xu Li has a title, Cyan Silk and Red Brocade. The cultivation technique she practices is called the Nine Heavens Soft Water Technique. When cultivated to its peak, her hair slowly turns the color of jade and becomes an incredibly powerful weapon. And the Red Silk she carries is a True Artifact Level weapon. When she wields it, even masters at the Half-step True Dao realm have to give her a wide berth...”

Zhaang Ye had been walking in silence. Hearing their conversation, his heart skipped a beat. ’Could the woman from the hot spring that day be Fairy Xu Li? Her hair was extraordinarily powerful, and she also had a Red Silk...’

While Zhaang Ye was lost in thought, the Mei Family convoy slowly drew alongside him. As expected of one of the Wei Kingdom’s four great families, even their carriage drivers were masters at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer. From within a few of the carriages, Zhaang Ye sensed several powerful auras. Based on their intensity, they belonged to masters of at least the Martial Arts Seventh Layer.

Knowing how powerful the Mei Family was, Zhaang Ye moved far to the side of the road to let them pass.

As the fourth carriage passed, a surprised voice suddenly called out from within: ”Huh? Stop!”

At the command, the entire convoy ground to a halt.

The carriage curtain was pulled aside, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. He stared intently at Zhaang Ye and said, ”Boy, bring me that bow on your back. Let me have a look.”

Zhaang Ye’s brow furrowed. He had no idea why this man was suddenly interested in his Purple Great Bow. Not caring to dwell on it, he replied coolly, ”Sorry, but no.”

Python City was a place where might makes right; robbery and theft were commonplace. Zhaang Ye knew that if he handed over the Purple Great Bow for inspection, he would likely never see it again. Thus, he refused the man without a second thought.

Hearing Zhaang Ye’s blunt refusal, the middle-aged man’s expression flickered. He sneered, ”A mere boy at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer dares to speak to me like that! Mei the Third, go take care of him.”

At the man’s command, the carriage driver strode forward, heading straight for Zhaang Ye.

Seeing a conflict erupt between Zhaang Ye and the Mei Family, the passersby all moved a safe distance away before stopping to watch the spectacle. The looks they gave Zhaang Ye were as if they were looking at a dead man. Clearly, none of them fancied his chances.

Mei the Third stared at Zhaang Ye as he approached, a sinister grin on his face. ”Boy, you dare to disobey Master Mei Qi! Allow me, Mei the Third, to send you on your way!”

They were only a few dozen li from Python City, well within its sphere of influence. Murder and arson were perfectly normal here, which was why Mei the Third was acting so audaciously.

A cold smile touched the corner of Zhaang Ye’s mouth, but he remained silent.

Zhaang Ye had already sensed that the strongest expert in the Mei Family’s convoy was only at the Mid-stage of the Martial Arts Seventh Layer. While Zhaang Ye had no desire to make an enemy of such a person, he certainly wasn’t afraid of them either.

He was merely passing through Python City, so he had no reason to fear offending the Mei Family. Since they were asking for death, Zhaang Ye wouldn’t be polite.

Mei the Third let out a vicious laugh as one of his large hands slowly reached out to grab Zhaang Ye.

The grab seemed slow, but it was deceptively fast, its power held in reserve. If he were caught, his bones and tendons would be snapped inch by inch. He would be tortured until he wished for death.